Posted by Ensign V’alura Belmont (Science Officer) in Main Sim [Holodeck 3]: Faster Than the Speed of Thought… Maybe

Posted by Fleet Captain Drudoc Andone (Commanding Officer) in Main Sim [Holodeck 3]: Faster Than the Speed of Thought… Maybe
[snip]

“While it’s not exactly something I would care to do, another option has presented itself that’s a bit more… moral.” Caelian paused to gather his thoughts, steel himself for what he was about to suggest. “Hope mentioned that, when her kind die, they effectively release their energy out into space. I’m hoping to study this energy burst so that we can figure out how to harness it to achieve our goal of getting home. While it’s a little more grim—”

“You can say that again, boss.” Jackson grumbled.

“—it might serve the same end without violating our Starfleet oaths and the sanctity of life. I’m not even sure it will work anyway, but it’s the best option I can think of at this point. If my theory holds, their energy will manifest our desire to return to Federation space by returning us to our section of the universe. I can only hope the process is the same matter-energy conversion as it appears to be.”

L’Nel lifted a brow in his direction and clasped his hands behind his back pensively. “You said that there was a part of your theory of which I was to take part. Explain.”

Caelian nodded and turned to the image of the Ark Angel. A few commands caused the display to expand and break away until a small interior room was shown. A complex array of cables snaked through the center of the room and up the back of what appeared to be a chair.

“Right, so, there is a lot of risk involved with this kind of experiment,” he explained carefully, “the chief of which will be the controlled interaction between our sentient subject and the nebulous protoform energy. One wayward thought and the unexpected happens.” Caelian gestured to Hope with an apologetic grin. “While it doesn’t necessarily have to be a Vulcan, I thought that our best chance at success would be to channel the energy in such a way that it only came into contact with a singular strong and focused mind. I thought maybe we could start smaller-scale before taking the entire ship for a ride that could theoretically end with us all ending up as energy on the other side of the galaxy.”

L’Nel nodded soberly.

“V’alura,” Caelian said quickly, moving away from the deathly prospect. “I’m going to need your scientific know-how on the design end of this whole thing. While I’m pretty versed on engine design, physics, and even quantum theory, I tend to look at things from a technical angle. We’ll need your fresh eyes—and your number-crunching friend—to shore up holes in the design. This is going to require your expertise as much as ours. I hope you’re up to the task.”

“Of course,” V’alura said in a daze, then a blink and nearly asked if Caelian truly believed this would work. It all seemed like a plot out of a speculative fiction novel she read as a young girl. Novels where hard, absolute science was second to fantastic ideas. Instead she said, “You can count on me.” If happy thoughts and dying protoforms were the way home then she wanted to do everything she could to ensure it won’t end disastrously.

He sighed slowly, and a wave of weariness seemed to sweep through him. He turned to Hope and crouched so he could once again meet her eyes. “While we can’t do this without you or your kind, little one,” he said carefully, “I want you to understand that I won’t do this if it will bring any further harm to you or the others. Will you help us?”

—Caelian Weir, Engineer—

MiniFayth/Hope looked to Weir, “..I guess I can help, but I am not like the others anymore, I can’t manifest things the way I was like before. You would need another of my kind without substance for what I think you are getting too.” She said.

GM CockRoach

Caelian nodded. “I know you can’t, and that’s okay,” he said calmly. “Anything you could tell us about the older ones would help. Are they only found where we discovered you, or are there other places in this sector where we would find them? You see, some species—like an animal from my home called an elephant—would go someplace very special when they knew they were about to die. Does your kind have a habit like that, or do they always stay in one place? Near the boridium, maybe?”

—Caelian Weir, Engineer—

Mazi had been all over the ship fixing minute things here and there to be sure the power to the area being refitted for the new engine was unimpeded. That meant several small reroutes all over the ship. Once finished, she found out Cael was in one of the holodecks working on another theory. While watching out her window the previous evening, she had come up with an idea and wanted to toss it at him to add to his, already full, plate of ideas.

Coming onto the holodeck, she saw several others around. While it shouldn’t have surprised her, she had wished, privately, that he would have been alone. Glancing at the happenings she finally spied him on the other side of the hovering miniature and moved to seek him out. She didn’t realize she was on the others side of the ship from where the min Fayth was perched. Coming up behind him, she didn’t see who he was talking to. “Caelian… I had an idea,” her voice piped up in a pause in conversation. She reached up to scratch between her antenna as they moved around the room as if investigating those in the immediate area.

Mazi Engineer

MiniFayth was about to reply when Mazi entered and declared she had an idea. MiniFayth went quiet then.

GM CockRoach

Caelian perked up an ear as Mazhari’s arrival. “Hmm?”

The problem with the power of thought, V’alura decided, was that this theory required an abstract concept to move a physical three dimensional object across physical space. She began with equations, calculating the raw energy required to travel from their current location to the closest border of Federation Space in an instant. Then in a minute, and on and on. All the numbers were terribly astronomically high and they should all be thankful that friction does not exist in space. When Mazi entered V’alura moved closer to Sophia and L’Nel, “Either of you ever heard of genies?” V’alura began conversationally, “Mythical beings with unlimited power? Find their lamp and gain three wishes? In just about every story involving genies, people who carelessly word their wishes will find their wish turning back on them and bringing greater misfortune? That’s how I feel right now. Like we’ve found a genie’s lamp.”

L’Nel frowned. “I am not familiar with that particular superstition.”

Jackson rolled her eyes and gave V’alura a helpless nod before leaning closer to the Vulcan. “I think it was rhetorical.”

Her left hand keyed new equations into her console while her right hand annotated notes, “Not that I don’t think any of us aren’t brilliant or incapable of pulling this off,” She added, trying to feel a little less like a downer. If this didn’t pan out then at least they would have the slipstream device.

Ensign Belmont (Science)

“It’s all right, little friend,” Caelian murmured comfortingly. “I’m sure this is a lot to take in, what with all the tallfolk around. But I wouldn’t have brought you here if I thought you’d come to harm. We’re explorers; we just want to understand more about you and this part of space. But we don’t belong here, and at some point we’d like to go home. With your help, of course.”

It was a fantastical long shot, he knew. He simply had to hold onto the belief that it would work, assuming they could harness enough of the protoform energy. Using what amounted to a dying breath to sail their way home still didn’t sit well with him, but it was far more tolerable than the alternative. He just prayed that Hope understood his motives and believed him, was willing to cooperate. Otherwise, the project was doomed to fail.

I never trained for this at the Academy, he mused glumly. using one paracausal being to counteract the prank of another. Give me good old fashioned science any day.
—Caelian Weir, Engineer—